An 18-year-old British teenager who murdered three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in England has been jailed for at least 52 years.
Axel Rudakubana, a British citizen, admitted to carrying out the killings in Southport last July, where he attacked 26 children attending the summer vacation event.
Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, all British citizens, tragically lost their lives. Two of the surviving victims suffered “horrific injuries” described by the prosecution as “sadistic in nature”.
Judge Julian Goose, a British judge, labelled Rudakubana’s actions “evil”, stating, “I am sure that Rudakubana had a settled and determined intention to carry out these offences and that, had he been able to, he would have killed each and every child, all 26 of them, as well as any adults who got in his way.”
Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to 10 counts of attempted murder, as well as producing the deadly poison ricin and possessing an al Qaeda training manual.
The judge sentenced Rudakubana in his absence after he repeatedly disrupted the court proceedings. While unable to impose a whole-life order due to Rudakubana’s age at the time of the crimes, Judge Goose stated, “It is likely that he will never be released and that he will be in custody for all his life.”
